Needle for sewing or the like



Sept. 30, 1969 J. ZOCHER NEEDLE FOR SEWING OR THE LIKE Filed June 1, 1967 Fig.3. Fig.4. Fig.5. Fig.2.

INVENTOR Josef Zocher Witness ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,469,548 NEEDLE FOR SEWING OR THE LH(E Josef Zocher, Haaren, near Aachen, Germany, asslgnor to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 1, 1967, Ser. No. 642,923 Int. Cl. Db 85/02 US. Cl. 112222 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The following disclosure relates to the art of sewing needles or the like wherein a thread or yarn is carried by the needle for passage through a material to form a seam, design, pile, etc. The needle disclosed herein is particularly adapted for use in the tufting art, although it should be understood that it is not restricted thereto. The disclosure sets forth a needle structure wherein the penetration force required to pass the needle through .a material is substantially minimized as well as minimizing the destruction of the material penetrated by the needle.

Brief summary of invention This invention relates to a novel and improved needle structure which has for a prime advantage the reduction in the penetration force required to pass the needle through a material worked upon by said needle. In present day textile processes, such as tufting or the like, some of the materials which are used in such processes are relatively ense and require special measures to be taken to compensate for the penetration forces required for passing the needle through said materials. It will be apparent, that, if the penetration force of the needle passing through the material becomes too great, the working speed of the machines must be reduced due to increased vibration and the influence on the wear life on the parts of the machine. Further, relatively large penetration forces can also lead to breakage of the needles themselves. The needle of the present invention is constructed such that the penetration force is substantially minimized so that the machines can be run at relatively greater speeds without increasing the vibrations or force required to penetrate the materials used therein .and also have the characteristic of reducing the destruction of the materials at the point of penetration. The invention is generally carried out by providing a needle with a relatively narrower point angle with the point beginning substantially at the top of the eye portion of the needle which eye portion is contained substantially within the point portion itself. by reducing the point angle and including the eye therein, a relatively longer and narrower point can be provided on the needle as compared to prior art type needles of the same relative size, whereby the penetration force will be substantially reduced.

Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide a novel and improved needle for use in sewing or the like. It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improved needle for penetrating a textile fabric or the like wherein the penetration force of the needle through the fabric is substantially minimized.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel and improved tufting needle for penetrating a backing fabric wherein the penetration force of the tufting needle through the backing fabric is substantially minimized and the destruction of fibers in said backing fabric is also minimized.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a novel and improved needle for use in tufting or the like wherein the penetration force of the needle through a backing fabric is relatively reduced and which needle has improved yarn carrying capabilities.

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Other objects and advantages of the invention will be best understood on reading the following description detailed with the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of drawings FIGURE 1 is a partial plan view of a portion of prior art type tufting needle;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of a needle of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the needle shown in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the needle of FIGURE 2 showing one side thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the needle shown in FIGURE 2 with a portion thereof broken away to more clearly show the features thereof;

Detailed description of the invention Referring to FIGURE 1, a portion of a prior art type tufting needle which is presently standard throughout the tufting industry is illustrated therein. The needle 10 of FIGURE 1 includes a blade portion 12, partially shown therein, which is connected at the uppermost end of the needle to a butt portion (not shown) and at its lower most end to a point portion 1-4. An oval shaped eye 16 is provided in the blade portion 12 and has its side walls running parallel to each other over substantially the entire length of said eye portion 16, as illustrated. It will be apparent from FIGURE 1, that the eye portion 16 occupies a substantial amount of the diameter or width of the needle 10, being in the approximation of 65% of said diameter and that because of this, the point portion or cone 14 can only begin at the lowermost portion of the eye. Therefore, the point portion 14 has to have a relatively wide point angle, said angle being defined by the converging sides of the point portion, and is relatively short in length. It will be obvious, therefore, that because of the relatively wide point angle and short point length, the penetration force required for the needle to penetrate a backing fabric in the tufting process will be relatively large. As briefly explained above, relatively high penetration force set up vibrations in the machine which are undesirable and further require greater power from the machine to cause the needles to penetrate the backing fabric. Also, it will be apparent that the greater the penetration force the more likely that needles may be broken during the tufting process and the wear life of the machine parts will be affected.

Referring to FIGURE 2 in particular, a needle 20 embodying the present invention is shown therein and includes a shank portion 22 at the uppermost part thereof connected to a blade portion 24 which in turn is connected to a point portion 26. The blade portion 24 may include a yarn guide groove 28 in one or both sides thereof and a recess portion 30 in one side thereof to permit a loop of yarn to be thrown off the needle during reciprocation of the needle through the fabric which may be picked up by a looper or the like, as is well known in the tufting process. The needle 20 also is provided with an eye portion 32 for passing a yarn therethrough so that the needle will carry a loop of yarn through the backing fabric.

As is illustrated in FIGURE 2, the eye 32 of the needle is contained wholly within the point portion 26 with said point portion 26 beginning at its uppermost portion .at substantially the top of said eye 32. Because of this, the eye 32 is contained substantially wholly within the point portion 26. Further, it will be seen that the eye 32 has a shape which conforms substantially with the shape of said point portion 26. Because the eye 32 has a shape which conforms substantially entirely with the shape of the point portion and is contained substantially wholly within said point portion 26 the eye does not occupy as relatively great a portion of the diameter of the needle as for example the prior art needle 10. Therefore, since the eye 32 occupies less of the diameter of the needle itself, the point portion can be made with a relatively narrower point angle and with a greater length. It will be seen, as for example in FIGURE 6, that the point angle A is defined by the convergence of the two side walls 34 and 36 of the needle point portion 26. It will be apparent that the point angle A of the needle of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 6 is substantially narrower than the point angle A illustrated in FIGURE 1 in the prior art type needle 10.

It is known in the needle art, that the penetration force required for the needle to penetrate a backing fabric is based directly on the point angle. Therefore, the greater the point angle the greater the force required to penetrate the fabric. It will be obvious that, if the point angle can be reduced, as has been accomplished through the present invention, the penetration force required will also be directly reduced. It has been found that point angles used with needles of the invention provide satisfactory results in a range of approximately 10 degrees to approximately degrees and at least less than degrees but preferably are in the neighborhood of 17 degrees for use in most standard tufting procedures. Another preferable form of needle has a point angle in the neighborhood of 14 degrees.

It will further be seen from the drawings, that the angle formed by the side walls 38 and of the eye portion is substantially equal to the point angle A and that the point portion 26 begins substantially at the upper end of said eye portion. It is the above-mentioned characteristics of the needle of the invention which permits the provision of a needle which has greatly reduced penetration force requirements as opposed to prior art needles and makes it very desirable in the tufting process. Another advantage of the needle of the invention lies in the shape of the needle eye 32 which may be defined as substantially conical. During the tufting process the loose fiber-like threads of the yarn will be supported by the relatively narrow or bottom portion of the conical eye 32 during reciprocation through the backing fabric for forming the pile loops, while at the same time, the relatively wider or uppermost portion of the needle eye 32 is sufficiently wide to permit knots or splices in the yarn or thread to freely pass through the eye.

FIGURE 7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The needle 20 again has a blade portion 24', a butt portion (not shown), and a point portion 26'. As in the previously described embodiment, the point portion begins substantially at the upper portion of the needle eye 32' and the side walls 38' and 40' of the needle eye 32' are substantially parallel to the corresponding side walls 34 and 36 of the point portion 26', respectively. In the embodiment of FIGURE 7 the needle eye 32 is relatively larger in size than the needle eye 32 of the previously described embodiment for the purpose of accommodating heavier duty yarns or the like. In order to compensate for the larger eye 32' in the point portion 26' the upper portion or region of the point portion 26' is slightly bulged as illustrated at 42 to provide greater strength charcteristics for the point portion of the needle 20' by adding extra material to the uppermost region of the point portion 26'. Also, the point angle defined by the convergence of the side walls 34 and 36 of the point 26' is relatively larger than the previously described embodiment and may be in the neighborhood of 22 degrees as opposed to the preferred angles of 14 and 17 degrees of said previously described embodiment although not limited 4 to this angle. In all other respects the embodiment of FIGURE 7 is the same as the embodiment of FIGURES 26.

FIGURE 8 shows still another embodiment of the invention wherein one side wall 36" is skewed to the left or is eccentric of the longitudinal axis of the needle 20" and the side wall 34" of the point 26 is substantially straight. Again, the side walls 38" and 40" of the eye 32" are substantially parallel to their respective corresponding side walls of the point 34". It will be obvious, of course, that the needle point 26" may be skewed to the right instead of to the left as illustrated in FIGURE 8 and it is not felt that it is necessary to describe both such needles since they are substantially similar in their characteristics. Needles used in sewing, tufting or the like which have skewed points are well known in the art and this feature in of itself is not relied upon for patentability. It will be obvious from FIGURE 8 that the relationship between the eye 32 and the point 26" is substantially the same as that described in the embodiments of FIG- URES 26 and FIGURE 7. Preferably, the point angles defined by the converging side walls 34 and 36" 0f the point portion 26" is in the neighborhood of 19 degrees in the embodiment of FIGURE 8, although not limited to this angle.

It will be seen from the above description that a needle is provided wherein the penetration force required for penetrating a fabric is substantially minimized and that the likelihood of destruction of the fibers of the fabric is also reduced over that of prior art needles. Although the invention has been described in relation to a tufting needle, it will be obvious that the invention is also applicable to other sewing processes. It will be further understood that the invention is not restricted to the particular features of the embodiments herein described since alternative arrangements will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,

Although the invention has been described in its pre ferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it should be understood that the present disclosure has been made of preferred forms by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A needle for sewing or the like including an eye for receiving thread or the like, a blade portion, a point portion connected to said blade portion, said point portion having a profile being free of any parallel outer surface side walls, and said point portion originating from substantially the uppermost end of said eye adjacent to said blade portion such that said eye is contained substantially wholly within said point portion, and said eye having a shape substantially conforming with the shape of said point portion.

2. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 1 wherein each side wall of said eye is substantially parallel to its respective adjacent side wall of said point portion.

3. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 1 wherein said point portion is substantially conical in its entirety and the angle defined between the side walls of said eye is subtsantially equal to the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion.

4. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 3 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably in the range of l025.

5. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 3 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably is 17.

6. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 3 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably is 14.

7. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 1 wherein the region adjacent to the upper portion of said point portion is slightly bulged for increasing the strength thereof.

8. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 7 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably is 22.

9. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 1 wherein the axis of said point portion is skewed relative to the longitudinal axis of said needle.

10, A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 1 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably is 19.

11. A needle for sewing or the like having a blade portion and a point portion connected to said blade portion, and an eye formed in said needle for receiving thread or the like, said eye being contained substantially wholly within said point portion with the side walls of said eye defining an angle therebetween substantially equal to the angle defined between the corresponding side walls of said point portion.

12. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 11 wherein the uppermost limit of said point portion begins substantially at the uppermost limit of said eye adjacent to said blade portion.

13. A needle for sewing or the like wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion is at least less than 30.

14. A needle for sewing or the like as recited in claim 13 wherein the angle defined between the side walls of said point portion preferably lies in the range of 10 to 25.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,629 5/ 1883 Suplee 112-222 1,235,587 8/1917 Moffatt ll2222 1,323,340 12/1919 Weis ll2222 3,397,660 8/1968 Luther 112-222 RICHARD J. SCANLAN, JR., Primary Examiner 

